Rage War Incursion 4

He'd seen Private Lizzie Reynolds go down fighting when she'd taken on the first of the two Yautja. She'd been protecting a man and two young kids, and she'd got a few good shots in with her nano-rifle before the alien took her head.-pg.24 chpt.1

"Who goes there?" The big Marine standing at the end of the bridge brought his nano-rifle to bear.

"Really?" Marshall asked.

"Second warning, Mr. Marshall."

"You just told me my name."

The Marine took a step back into a shooting stance,
the nano-rifle's control panel casting a faint blue glow onto his faceplate. Marshall could only make out his eyes behind the visor, all other facial features hidden. He never liked the threatening impersonality of combat suits, but supposed that was one of their more subtle weapons.

"Third warning."

Marshall sighed. "Gerard Marshall, seventh chair of
the Weyland-Yutani Thirteen, ID code seven-one-gamma- three-november."

The marine stood to attention again, and Marshall
heard the distant whisper of his combat computer
confirming the identity of the man standing before him.

"Thank you, Sir. General Bassett is expecting you. You can find him in the VR suite of his control room."

"Right." Marshall walked past the marine toward the
doorway, which faded open, then he paused. "Don't you ever...?" The marine turned to look down at Marshall, faceplate giving nothing away. The combat suit was silent. The rifle still glowed, and Marshall wondered what setting it was kept on. He'd seen such rifles fired before in demonstrations, had witnessed their firepower. Immense, and horrific.

"Never mind," he said. "Carry on."-pg.96 chpt.6